


Love at the Ministry (Percy Weasley/Kelina)

by river1324



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, I apologize in advance, Uhm, and kelina only, go follow @quidditch on tiktok, jk, kelinas a real person, maybe a slowburn?, slowburn, this is for kelina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27927271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/river1324/pseuds/river1324
Summary: Kelina is starting a new job at the Ministry of Magic, thanks to her best friend, the boy who lived himself, Harry Potter. However, problems arise when she finds out that she has to work with her long time rival, Percy Weasley.(hi please this is just for fun, and go follow kelina on tiktok @quidditch)
Relationships: Percy Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter One: Introductions

“Honestly, Harry, I’ll be fine!” Kelina said, walking through the crowded hallways of the Ministry of Magic. Normally, Kelina would only show up to the Ministry if it was to see Harry for lunch, but now she was preparing to be here full time. A couple weeks ago, Harry had come to her talking about a new position opening up at the Ministry, specifically the Department of Magical Transportation. It lined up almost perfectly, her being out of a job for too long. Her previous job was at The Three Broomsticks, but she couldn’t deal with any more loud, drunk patrons.

Harry had insisted that he come with her on her first day, no matter how much she complained that it wasn’t necessary. 

_“I feel like a proud father!” He’d say, clutching his hand to his heart._

_“Harry, I’m older than you.” Kelina would say, rolling her eyes at his dramatic action._

“I’ll meet you for lunch at precisely noon, okay?” He said, putting his hands on her shoulders. She smiled.

“Harry, I’ve been here before, I’m not a child.” She said.

“Kelina, well, there’s something I forgot to tell you-” Harry started to say before Kelina heard that all too familiar voice.

“Parker.” The monotonous voice rang out. Her smile left her face immediately, and she dreaded turning around to see the all too familiar red-head. 

Percy Weasley. That bastard.

Unfortunately, this was not Kelina’s first time meeting him. She had the misfortune of attending school with Percy Weasley. Academically, they were almost the same, both top of their classes, both prefects, and eventually Head Boy and Head Girl. But, their personalities couldn’t be more different. Kelina was extremely intelligent, but did not see the purpose in applying herself, which was the polar opposite of Percy. 

“Well, have a fun day at work!” Harry exclaimed, turning to walk away from the growing tension, but Kelina put a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“Potter, a word.” She said, her voice almost dripping with venom. Harry learned through countless experiences to always listen to her. 

“Erm, hello?” Harry feigned innocence.

“Did you know that he was working here?” She asked.

“Well, you see-”  
“Yes, or no, Harry?” She said, her voice dropping lower.

“He’ssortoftheonewhotoldmeaboutthejob.” Harry said in one breath, hoping that Kelina could not understand what he said.

“He’s my rival, Harry! Why would you think I’d want to work with a git like him!” She exclaimed.

“Come on, Kelina, that was ages ago! He’s changed a lot, Ginny swears so!” He defended himself.

“Harry…” She whined out, hoping the Boy Who Lived would find a way to get her out of this situation. 

“Just try one week! In one week, if you can’t stand it anymore, I will find you another place to work.” He responded, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Fine.” She replied, still upset. She really needed a job, and for now, she guessed she would deal with Percy Weasley, who was still there, standing smugly with his hands crossed over his chest.

“Unfortunately for me, I was given the task of showing you around.” He said, causing Kelina to make a face.

“Unfortunately for you? What about me?” She said, letting her defensiveness shine through. 

“Mr. Weasley, Miss Parker, thank goodness I’ve found you.” A middle aged woman came up to the two of them. Kelina recognized her as Madam Edgecomb, who had been there during her Apparation Test at Hogwarts.

“Is there a problem, Madam Edgecomb?” He asked.

“Well, there’s been a miscalculation, we thought there was a separate office for Miss Parker here, but there is not. So, the two of you will be sharing an office for the time being.” Kelina’s eyes almost popped out of her skull.


	2. Chapter Two: First Day

It was one thing having to work with Percy Weasley, but now she was having to work in the same room as him? She was never going to make it a week. But, she put a smile on her face and acted as if everything was normal. She was an adult, after all, and the last thing she needed was her coworkers thinking that she wasn’t capable of her job.

She looked over to Percy, who wore a similar expression to hers.

“Is there a problem here?” Madam Edgecomb asked, seeing their expressions.

“Oh no, not at all, just a shock, that’s all.” Kelina jumped in. After all, that was her boss, and she wanted to make as good of an impression as possible. 

“Well, that’s about all I have to say, Mr. Weasley, you may continue showing Miss Parker around.” And with that, she turned around, walking back into her office. 

Kelina looked over to Percy to see that he had his jaw clenched, and his mood got worse significantly. 

Percy motioned for Kelina to follow him, and she did, choosing not to comment on his behavior change. 

Percy opened the door, and the first thing Kelina noted was the weirdly friendly aroma of the room. There were a few plants littered around the room, and a candle burning on one of the desks. There was already another on in place, placed across the room. Kelina weirdly felt bad about taking up some of his space, but she would never let him know that.

“Here’s your first assignment.” Percy placed a large stack of folders on the empty desk, which Kelina had just taken a seat in. 

“Erm, how am I-”

“These are all complaints of the misuse of Apparation.” Percy started, walking her through the assignment. It was fairly easy, basically listening to people complain and deciding if they were serious enough to get higher ups involved. She already dealt with people complaining at her previous job, but they were mainly knackered beyond oblivion.

Percy Weasley hated Kelina Parker, simple as that. He recalls the days at Hogwarts in classes, where the two of them would sit in Potions, or Charms, and she’d always manage to somehow have the answers before he could think of them. Or at night, when he’d be patrolling the halls, and he’d see her in the dungeons, sitting on a bench, not doing a thorough enough job for his liking. 

After working in complete silence for around 15 minutes, Percy decided to break it.

“Why did you want a job here?” He asked suddenly, making Kelina look up.

“Are you trying to make small talk?” She asked, smirking slightly.

“No, I’m just wondering if you’re adequate for it or not.” He replied, making her scoff and roll her eyes.

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” She said, gesturing to her work. “Besides, I just needed a job. And Harry said he had one.”

“So you got this job because Harry?”

“No, you git.” She snapped. At first, it wasn’t bad, she thought maybe she’d worked through whatever rivalry her and Percy had. And then he opened his mouth. His nasally, monotone voice was enough for Kelina to wish she’d never taken the job.

Looking up at the clock, she realized it was almost noon, and Harry would be saving her soon.

“Mr. Weasley, you have a phone call from your mother.” A young woman opened the office door slightly. Percy nodded and picked up his phone.

“Mother? Yes, I’m doing okay-what? Why do you want to talk to her, how did you know, Fine, I’m putting her on.” Percy reluctantly held the phone on his desk out to Kelina, who grabbed it graciously.

“Hello?” She said into the phone, confused on why Molly was interested in talking to her. Kelina had spent a summer at the Burrow once, and Molly Weasley had felt like her real mother, and now she got a Christmas Sweater from her every year.

“Kelina, is that you dear? Ginny just told me that you and Percy are now working together! I had to call right away to invite you for dinner tonight!” Her cheery voice rang through, and Kelina couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly put you through the trouble-”

“Nonsense, everyone will be there! Bill and Fleur are visiting, and I’ll even get Percy, too.” She said, causing Kelina’s eyes to widen.

“Oh no, please-”

“Okay, it’s final! I’ll see you after work, dearie! Now, could you please hand the phone back to Percy?” Something about the way that woman talked had Kelina feeling bad at even the thought of rejecting her. So, she handed the phone back to Percy and took a seat back on her chair.

“What? Mum, I’ll probably work late, revisions on- erm, something,” Kelina knew that was a jab at her, and she scoffed, “Yes, of course I love you, no, fine! I’ll be there.”

Percy hung up the phone and glared at the girl.

“Was this your plan? Get my mum wrapped around your finger?” He snapped.

“No! Why would I care? I didn’t ask her to throw a dinner for me!” Kelina defended herself, putting her hands up in surrender. At that exact moment, Harry walked in to get Kelina for lunch.

“Woah, Perce, it’s her first day, cut her some slack.” Harry said, stepping in front of Kelina defensively. 

Percy groaned. “I’m going to lunch. I’ll be back in an hour.”

And with that, he left the room, closing the door a little too harshly for it to be an accident. Kelina and Harry cringed at the loud noise.

“So I take it your first day isn’t going too well.”


	3. Chapter Three: Dinner at the Burrow

Going to the Burrow was something Kelina would never get tired of. She adored all of the Weasley, except for Percy of course. She noted the crops growing on the side of the house, and the twins chasing each other around the front yard. 

“Kelina!” They said at the same time, stopping their previous activity to go and give the girl a hug. The two of them towered over her, them being almost a foot taller than her.

“Mum’s been making us clean all day for you.” George complained.

“Boys! I thought I told you to degnome the garden!” Molly’s voice rang out, causing the boys to jump apart. “Kelina, dear, didn’t expect you so soon. Come on in!”

Kelina walked through the front door of the Burrow, noting the warm tones in the living room. There were two couches, and there was already a fire in the fireplace. 

“Just have a seat, Hermione should arrive shortly.” She said, gesturing to the seats, which Kelina took graciously. Suddenly, a mug full of tea flew through, landing in Kelina’s hands.

Kelina always admired the Weasleys. They were kind to everyone, and seemed to accept everyone. She could not figure out how someone as nice and loving as Molly Weasley could birth Percy.

“Mother, I’m here!” Speak of the devil. Kelina looked over to the front door where Percy stood, obviously just getting off work, as he still had work clothes on. She watched as Molly came out of the kitchen and gave him a hug before sending him to do some chores.

Not long after Percy arrived, Hermione and Ron also arrived, hand in hand.

“Kelina!” Hermione rushed over to the girl, giving her a tight hug. The two girls had not been able to see each other often, as Hermione and Ron had just moved in together, which took up most of her time. “How’s your new job?”

“Oh, well, it’s good, for the most part.” She said, eyeing upstairs where she knew Percy was.

“Ginny told me. I can’t believe you two are still acting like this.” Hermione responded, “I mean, that was years-”

“I am not starting anything, he’s the one-”

“Hermione! Kelina! Come here!” Ginny said, a huge smile on her face. The two girls rushed upstairs, into Ginny’s old room. It was the same as she could remember, having a couple Quidditch posters, and her Pygmy Puff, Arnold, sat in the corner of her room, looking content.

The three girls sat on her bed, chatting and catching up on any missed drama and gossip.

“Honestly, Kelina, Percy’s always been a bit of an arse, but he’s not as bad anymore!”

“Gin, nothing is going to change my opinion on him.” Kelina said, tired of people talking about Percy. It didn’t matter what people said, to her, Percy Weasley would always be an awful person.

“Dinner!” Molly’s voice rang out, and the girls rushed downstairs, as they all realized how hungry they were.

The food smelled wonderful, there was an assortment of meat and vegetables, along with some type of dinner rolls, and a large pitcher of gravy. Kelina almost drooled at the sight of it, watching the steam pour out of the food. 

Her original plan was to sit next to Ginny or Hermione, but as looked up, she saw that Harry and Ron had already occupied those seats, and there was only one open seat left, next to Percy. Of course.

Reluctantly, she took a seat next to him, deciding that she was just going to pretend that he was not there.

“Kelina, it is really as bad working with Percy as we imagine?” Fred asked her, and George piped up in anticipation.

“No, what’s his office like? Boring, full of books?” He added.

“Boys, leave her alone, I’m sure she’s doing a wonderful job, aren’t you?” Molly asked, looking at her.

“Oh yeah, it’s great!” There were plenty of other things she’d like to say, namely how she would rather work with Voldemort himself than the boy sitting next to her. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but her point still stood, Percy Weasley was awful.

Dinner was delicious, and everybody at the table stuffed themselves silly, until they could barely move. Kelina could not remember a time when she had food that good and filling, as most of her meals these days consisted of whatever was easiest to make. On top of dinner, Molly also packaged up the leftovers for her to take home.

Kelina decided to stay a little longer, done with a little persuasion from Fred and George.  
“Come on, it’s a celebration!” They said, pulling out the liquor. 

“I don’t know guys, I mean it’s only my first day.” She said. 

“And how often do you have a first day at work? Not very often.” They persuaded.

“Are you guys getting drunk?” Ginny asked, coming down the stairs. Molly and Arthur had gone upstairs, along with Bill and Fleur, who were visiting for the time being. Percy was sitting on the couch, pretending not to listen to their conversation, and Ron, Hermione, and Harry were sitting on the floor playing with a deck of cards.

“No, we’re not.” Kelina said, but she looked over to the twins who gave her puppy dog eyes. “Fine, one drink.”

Spoiler alert: she did not just have one drink.


	4. Chapter Four: The Next Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this one is a shorter one but don't worry, the story will start picking up from here on out, hopefully :)

Kelina woke up the next morning feeling like crap. She had a pounding headache, and someone’s foot next to her face. Groaning, she sat up and realized she was back at her apartment, and apparently so was Harry, Ginny, and Ron. 

“Good morning!” Hermione’s bright and cheery voice rang through the house. She came into the living room holding two glasses, one full of coffee, and some strange pinkish liquid. “Drink up.”

“What’s in here?” Kelina asked, pointing at it. 

“It’s a hangover potion I picked up this morning, it should help you.” She replied, and Kelina didn’t waste one moment in bringing it to her lips. Awful tasting was an understatement. It felt like everything in her was screaming at her to stop. But finally, she finished it, groaning as she set it down. 

“Shit, what time is it? I’m gonna be late for work!” Kelina exclaimed, suddenly remembering that she now had a job.

“Don’t worry, it’s 7:30. You have plenty of time to get ready. I’ll deal with getting the rest of the lot up.” Hermione said, and Kelina nodded in thanks before disappearing into her bathroom to shower.

She took a fairly long shower, enjoying the warm water. From outside the door she could hear slight movement and the occasional “okay ‘mione, I’m up!”

When she got out of her bedroom, dressed in her work attire, her apartment was now empty. There was a note on her table that read 

“Kelina,   
Have a good day at work! Thanks for letting us crash at ur house last night  
Love,  
Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.”

Kelina smiled and shook her head before heading to work.

Arriving at the Ministry, she walked quickly to her department, being greeted by the secretary there, who she learned was named Audrey. She opened the office door, and was met with Percy. She couldn’t remember a lot of last night, except Percy leaving after her first drink.

“I didn’t expect you to come in today.” He said as she took her seat.

“And why’s that?” Normally she’d like to rile the boy up, but not today.  
“Seeing as how drunk you were last night, I thought for sure you were going to call in sick.” Okay, that was what set her off. How dare he? Yes, she was drunk last night, but who was he to call her out?

“Actually, I am fully functioning and ready to work, not that it’s any of your business.” She snapped.

“Well, that’s good, because this needs to be done before lunch.” And with that, he dropped a large stack of envelopes on her desk. This was going to be a long day.


	5. Chapter Five: Upgrades

The next few weeks went as smoothly as they could for Kelina. Having to work with Percy was a huge downside, but there were a few good things to come out of it. She was a star in her field, getting the hang of her job fairly quickly, and now she was finding it almost too easy. She started getting closer to Audrey, the secretary there, the two of them often spending lunch together.

“Parker. Madam Edgecomb wants you.” Percy said shortly, taking a seat and promptly going back to work. Unfortunately, the two of them still had to share an office, but Kelina had made it more homey. She added a few pictures to her desk, a plant that watered itself, and a candle that smelt of eucalyptus.

She stood up, walking slowly towards her boss’ office, trying to rack her brain as to why she was being summoned. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She showed up to work on time, did her work quietly, well except for the bicker between her and Percy, and got along with pretty much everyone, except of course Percy.

“Ms. Parker, please, a seat.” Her stern tone was the first thing Kelina noticed. Then again, that was how she always talked, straight to the point, which she admired. “Tea?”

“Erm, sure.” Within seconds, a teacup came into Kelina’s hands, and magically filled with the warm liquid. Before, she was certain she’d been doing well at her job, but one look from the older woman had her doubting everything. Maybe she’d written off a complaint wrong, or maybe she was working too slowly for her liking, maybe-

“You’re nervous.” She cut the silence, and all Kelina could do was look down at her tea meekly. “Don’t worry, Miss Parker, you’re not in any trouble. In fact, quite the opposite.”

“What do you mean?” The girl looked up, more confused than anything.

“Well, even though this is a fairly small department, everyone in here can only say good things about you.” She started. “As you know, Hogwarts licenses out Apparition tests each year to sixth and seventh year students. Seeing as you mastered your tests in one go, and your work over the past weeks have been nothing short of efficient, I would like to give you and Mr. Weasley the job to supervise the students.”

“Are you serious?” Kelina had a huge smile on her face. This was a huge step up from what she previously had been doing, and while she was excited, she also felt anxious, as if maybe she wasn’t as prepared as Madam Edgecomb seemed to have believed.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Twycross will still be leading the tests, you and Mr. Weasley will be there to supervise the students if one should get splinched. There will also be a few training sessions you will have to take with Mr. Twycross, just to make sure you can be as much help to the students as possible.” She explained. The only problem now is that her and Percy would indeed have to spend more time together, but hopefully not for much longer.

“Me and Per- erm, Mr. Weasley, would we be working together closely?” Kelina tried to ask as delicately as possible. Sure, she had a huge hatred for the man, but she didn’t need her boss to worry that it would affect her performance.

“I am not blind, Ms. Parker, I know you and Mr. Weasley have some childish rivalry, and luckily it doesn’t seem to be affecting your work. Which is why I think this week-long training session will be good for the two of you, to work past whatever is going on.” In times like this, Kelina thought that Madam Edgecomb could be her mother. While she was stern and straight to the point, there were moments that she seemed to genuinely care for the girl.

“And when do these training sessions start?” 

“First thing on Monday morning. Enjoy your weekend, because this next week may be the hardest thing you will ever have to do.” Kelina tried her best to remain calm, but on the inside, she was freaking out. Not only would she have to work with Percy, but according to her boss, she’s going to be put through the hardest week of her life.


	6. Chapter Six: Training

“See you’ve decided to arrive on time. Shocking.” Was unfortunately the first thing Kelina heard as she walked into work. 

“Fuck off, Percy, I’m not dealing with your crap today.” She replied, holding a coffee in one hand, and using her other hand to throw an obscene gesture at the boy.

“Ah, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Parker, how lovely to see the both of you again.” Wilkie Twycross greeted as he entered the room. It wasn’t a normal office, but looked more like an empty studio one would use to practice spells and such. Wilkie Twycross was almost transparent, and the rumor was that he got that way from apparating so often.

The first thing the two had to do was show him how well they could apparate, and how quickly they could do it. 

“If the teachers can’t do it, how can we expect the students to?” Twycross said. Percy was up first, and he had to apparate to the other side of the room, which he did exceptionally, not to anyone’s surprise. Kelina followed in suit, almost mirroring his actions.

“Excellent, excellent!” Twycross then had them work together, which proved harder than he thought. “Now, Ms. Parker, Mr. Weasley is going to make a hoop with his arms, and you are going to apparate into them.”  
“I’m not touching him.” Kelina said, glaring at Percy across the room.

“You think I want you to?” He snapped back.

“No, no no! For this to be effective, the two of you have to trust each other!” The older man exclaimed. “Okay, this has happened before, I know how to fix this.”

Twycross had the two of them stand in a line, Kelina in front of Percy.

“Now, you are going to fall back with your eyes closed, and Mr. Weasley is going to catch you.” Her eyes widened in fear.

“No offense, sir, but I don’t trust him to catch me. I would rather not get a concussion today-”

“Come on Parker, I’m not going to drop you, let’s just get this over with.” He whispered to her, and for some reason, his hot breath down her neck made her feel something towards him she’d never felt. She shut up, and put her arms in front of her chest. 

“Very good Miss Parker, now just lean back, and close your eyes.” 

Kelina did so, and for some reason, feeling the man’s arms wrap around her was more comforting than ever. Something in her wanted to stay in those arms all day. ‘STOP IT!’ She told herself, ‘you hate him; don’t forget what he did to you seventh-’ No. No matter what, she would never let herself think of what Percy Weasley did to her in their seventh year. 

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly from there, the three of them working more on teamwork exercises, until the very end. Kelina and Percy felt sick, like they could throw up at any moment.

“One more, Ms. Parker, all you need to do is go to Mr. Weasley.” He had instructed. No matter how sick Kelina felt, she just kept thinking about going home and crawling into bed.

But, Kelina took a deep breath, and apparated once more. It must have been her mind not being as clear as it was before, but instead of apparating next to Percy, she apparated on top of him.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry-”

“It’s okay, truly.” Percy helped her up.

“I didn’t mean to-'' instead of getting to finish her sentence, Kelina threw up all of Percy Weasley's shoes. Fuck.


	7. Chapter Seven: The Day After

“Ginny, I can’t face him! I threw up on him!” Kelina exclaimed into the phone the next morning. She hadn’t really slept last night, not being able to stop thinking about yesterday’s event. She thought she’d be fine, until of course she ended up throwing up lunch all over Percy’s shoes. Not to mention the other weird feelings towards him yesterday. ‘You’re just touch deprived, you would’ve felt the same way if Twycross had caught you too’ she told herself, even if she didn’t believe it.

“Listen, he’s probably just as embarrassed as you are. Just go into work, and just pretend that nothing ever happened.” Ginny explained.

“I can’t, it’s not just that it’s-you know what, nevermind. You’re right.” Kelina refrained from telling the other girl about her feelings yesterday, as it would make it real. For now, she would live in her small bubble pretending she felt nothing towards Percy except for deep hatred. 

“That’s the spirit. Look, I’ve got to go, Harry and I are going to, well, it’s a surprise. Bye!” And with that, Ginny hung up. Kelina didn’t think too much about what her and Harry were going to do, as she was still nervous about going into work. Sighing, she put her shoes on as slowly as possible. She still had to endure four more days of working closely with the other boy, but it couldn’t be worse than yesterday.

Walking into the same room they were in yesterday, Kelina could almost feel the same way she did yesterday, with Percy in close proximity to her, almost made her feel the same way she did six years- ‘NO’ she cut those thoughts out of her head, refusing to let her head remind her.

The only difference to yesterday is that there were two desks present, and Percy Weasley was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah, Ms. Parker, good morning, take a seat at any of the desks.” Wilkie Twycross greeted her. “Mr. Weasley let me know he’s going to be a few minutes late, but no worries, today is not a physical training. You’re just going to be taking some tests.”

“Tests?”

“Oh yes, Ms. Parker, simple tests, very simple. Just a standard procedure to make sure you’re all caught up.” He explained, placing a stack of about 10 papers on her desk. “There’s no time limit, so take your time.”

She started slowly, turning over the first paper. He wasn’t kidding, these tests were easy. The questions on here were pretty straight forward.

“Question One:  
If a student splinches while Apparating, which of these would be the most effective way to help them?

A. Ignore them; they need to figure out how to help themselves  
B. Have other students help fix them; it’s a good teaching moment  
C. Use Dittany to fix the splinched body part, given it’s not too major  
D. None of the Above”

Kelina almost rolled her eyes at the question. It did make her wonder what some ministry official did to get to be a test question, however.

By the time she finished the back of the first page, Percy walked in, quickly as possible. He exchanged hushed words with Twycross, before being handed the same packet and instructed to sit. The two of them worked in silence, Kelina being too afraid to even look at him. She was afraid if she looked too long, she’d start feeling the same things she felt before.

After two hours of sitting in silence, working on tests, Kelina finally got to the end. It was easy, but some questions took a long time, and there were a ton of questions to get through. She was able to go get lunch afterwards, and that was when she realized how hungry she was. From spending the whole morning panicking, she realized she forgot to eat breakfast, and pack lunch. Luckily, there was a food court on the third floor.

Going down to the food court, she saw two familiar faces sitting and laughing at a table. Ron and Hermione noticed the girl, and waved for her to come sit next to them.

“Hey Kelina, funny seeing you here.” Ron said, and Kelina looked at him funny. “Oh! Forgot you got a job here, erm-”

“You’ll have to ignore him, he’s been acting like this all day.” Hermione said with a smile. “How has work been?”

“Well, funny you should mention it, I’ve recently been given some sort of a promotion. I’m going to help give Apparition lessons at Hogwarts.” At this statement, Hermione gasped and excitedly put a hand on Kelina’s.

“Oh my goodness, that’s amazing! Usually they only give that to super experienced workers!”

“Maybe they were running low on people.” Ron suggested, which caused Hermione’s smile to fall and give him a pointed look. “Not that you’re not qualified! I just meant-”

“No, it’s okay, Ron, I know what you meant.” Kelina reassured him.

“I know it must be difficult working with someone you haven’t exactly gotten along with, but maybe the two of you are getting along now?” Hermione asked.  
“Is it true you puked all over him?” Ron asked, a smile on his face.

“Ronald!” Hermione scolded. “Ignore him, he-”

“Does everyone know?” Kelina asked, her head dropping into her hands.

“No! It’s just you told Ginny, and she told Harry, who told Ron, and well, I guess.” Hermione explained, a sad smile on her face.

“It was awful! I can’t even look at him!”

“At least you don’t hate him anymore.” Ron said, trying his hardest to comfort the girl.

“No, I still hate him.”


	8. Chapter Eight: Drinking Games

The rest of the week seemed to move even more slowly, or at least that’s how it felt to Kelina. She managed to get through the rest of the tests and training without dying. It didn’t help that every time she looked at Percy Weasley, she felt feelings she hasn’t felt in years. Sure she’d felt attraction to some guys, but none like Percy. 

She woke up to an owl delivering mail, which she noted was Ginny’s, and it dropped the letter on her coffee table. Smiling and tipping the owl, she opened it.

“Kelina,

Tonight Harry and I are throwing a party at the burrow, mum and dad are going out for the night. Everyone’s going to be there, and I’d hope you’d be able to come too. Bring a date if you please.

Love Always,  
Ginny”

If there was one thing Ginny Weasley knew how to do, it was throw a party. She could remember at her time at Hogwarts all the parties Ginny threw in the Gryffindor common room. Even though Kelina was in Slytherin, she was still invited to some parties, as long as she didn’t wear any of her robes, as some Gryffindors never really warmed up to Slytherins in their common room. This was exactly what Kelina needed, a night to forget about Percy.

“Kelina, you’re early!” Ginny opened the door to the burrow, and took the container of cookies Kelina had made for the party. 

“Yeah, sorry, guess I was just excited.” Kelina blushed slightly, embarrassed to be the first one to arrive.

“No worries, you can help Harry in the backyard.” Ginny replied, pointing to the backdoor which was open, where Harry was scratching his head looking at the equipment that needs to be set up. “Merlin knows he’s gonna need it.”

“Hey Harry.” Kelina said, bringing the boy out of his confused trance. 

“Great you’re here, I need your help.” He said, motioning to the clump of fabric and poles on the floor. “Gin wanted me to set up this tent, but I don’t even know where to start.”

The two of them started to slowly put up the tent, getting the hang of it eventually, after it only falling a few times. Even with wands, the two of them still struggled with a task muggles could do.

After setting up the backyard, people started arriving, including but not limited to, Lavender Brown, The Patil twins, Luna Lovegood, Neville, Dean and Seamus, and Cho Chang. When Hermione showed up, she did cast a wary look towards Lavender, and interlocked her fingers with Ron before continuing to greet people. Although, the party didn’t truly start until Fred and George walked in.

“We brought the drinks!” Was the first thing they said, which prompted a huge round of applause and cheering, mostly from Ron.

Just like that, the party went from somewhat formal, to batshit insane. People everywhere were drinking, and it reminded Kelina of a muggle house party that Hermione had taken her to once. Everyone had some type of drink in their hand, Seamus doing shots with Dean and Lavender, Neville and Luna having a small glass of Gillywater while making light conversation, and Ginny, who had abandoned her drink and was trying to convince Harry to let her give him a piggy-back ride.

Kelina wandered into the backyard, where Fred, George, Hermione, and Ron were sitting in lawn chairs.

“Kelina, perfect timing! We’re about to play a game!” Ron motioned for her to come over and sit down in the empty chair. 

“Er, what game?” She asked. If Fred and George were involved, no good was to come of it.

“A game Hermione told us about, er what was it, have you done it?” 

“Never have I ever.” Hermione corrected. “It’s simple, honestly-”

“But we’ve added a twist.” George interrupted, a malicious smile creeping on his face. 

“We’re adding Veritaserum into the drinks, so nobody can lie.” Fred finished.

“Isn’t that illegal?” Kelina held her drink out, to which Fred added two drops to her drink.

“Well, what they don’t know won’t kill them.”

And that’s how it started. The questions started off tame, nobody feeling embarrassed yet.

“Never have I ever had a crush on a teacher.” Ron said, to which Kelina and Hermione lifted the cup to their face.

“Who?” Ron looked stricken, and the two girls shared a look before answering.

“Lockhart.” They said at the same time, causing Ron’s eyes to widen and the twins to burst out laughing.

“Oooo are you guys playing games? Me and Harry want to join.” Ginny came out to the backyard, Harry on her back, and Fred and George handed each of them a cup.

The game continued, with the two new additions, the seven of them laughing all night. Some questions were slightly more embarrassing, and some just felt personal.

“Never have I ever been stood up on a date.” Fuck. Kelina’s smile immediately fell as she felt her cup being raised to her lips. Everyone looked at her and turned their heads. 

“Wait, Kelina, you never told me anything, who was it?” Ginny asked, sitting up on Harry’s lap.

“Percy Weasley.” The girl slapped a hand over her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say that. Damn Veritaserum.


	9. Chapter Nine: The Root

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so a couple things! In this fic, Voldemort died after he gave Harry the lightning scar, and never came back. Next, I changed Percy's age so that he was a seventh year when the Yule Ball came around  
> Also, this chapter is entirely flashback!
> 
> Enjoy:)

_Hogwarts. Kelina’s seventh year. “Miss Parker, a moment?” Professor Moody asked the girl as she was packing her stuff to leave. She looked up, confused as to what Moody could want with her. “You too, Mr. Weasley.”_

_Great, Percy. “_

_Now, as you know the Yule Ball is in two weeks, and some of the other professors are wary of all those students during the dance. We need the two of you to help supervise.”_

  
_“So we can’t go to the dance?” Kelina asked, mildly disappointed. Yeah, she was Head Girl for Slytherin house, and it came with a lot of responsibilities, but she hoped that for one night, she’d get to feel pretty, and have a night where she didn’t have to worry about giving out detentions or taking house points._

_“No, you two will be able to go and dance, but just need to keep an extra eye out on the students. Make sure nobody’s doing anything...suspicious.” Moody said._ _“It would probably be best if the two of you stuck together.” “_

_Us? Why would I want to work with her?” Percy said, disgust riddled on his face._

_“Oh, don’t flatter yourself Weasley, I don’t want to be with you either.” Kelina replied, crossing her arms over her chest._

_“Come on, you two!” Moody barked. “You two are the brightest students in class and you will be working together. Understood?” “_

_Yes professor.” The two of them said in unison._

_“Dismissed.” Not only did Kelina have to go to school with Percy, be on the same night duty schedule as him, and now she has to attend a freaking dance with him? This is the worst possible outcome she could think of. Recently, she’d been trying to be more positive, maybe this could be good. It would be nice to look at Percy and want to scoff and roll her eyes._

_“Look, we’re obviously not happy about this, but I’m not going to get in trouble because of some school rivalry. I have bigger and better plans, ones that don’t involve getting in trouble because I couldn’t get along with a classmate.” Percy broke the silence, turning to face the girl._

_“Wow, classmate? I think that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard from you Percy.” Kelina put a hand over her chest, acting like she was touched, before dropping it along with her fake smile. “Would you just stop? I didn’t know you could be so immature.”_

_“Immature? You’re fueling this rivalry just as much as I am.” Kelina shot back._

_“Whatever, okay? Let’s just get this over with.” Positive, you can be positive Kellina._

_“Fine, but I’m not matching you.” She said, turning to walk away from the boy._

_*_  
_The night of the Yule Ball, Kelina was touching up her hair and makeup before making her way down to the Great Hall. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to hate Percy Weasley less. The two of them weren’t really getting along, but it was a lot better than before. They were able to do nightly duties without starting any petty fights, and went so far as to look over their homework answers together. Maybe Kelina even felt a little more towards the boy. I mean, his hair was a really nice color, and when he was directing students on where to go, it made her feel-_

_No, okay, no._

_The girl looked one last time in the mirror before leaving the Slytherin bathrooms. The two of them were going to meet fifteen minutes before the dance started, at one of the benches they frequented often, on nightly duties of course. So, she sat, waiting for the boy to arrive._

_She was still early, Percy wasn’t supposed to show up for five more minutes. She could wait five more minutes. Nervously, she picked at a part of her dress, but carefully enough that it didn’t tear it._

_Twenty minutes went by and Kelina was still sitting there, waiting stupidly for the boy to arrive. She had made plenty of excuses in her head, he lost his tie, one of his friends had asked him to do his hair, his brothers had played a prank on him before this, and he was trying to clean it up. But it was useless, he wasn’t coming. There was still a small flicker of hope in her though, and that’s what caused her to stay and wait for him._

_Another twenty minutes went by when someone finally came over to her._

_“Kelina? Why aren’t you inside?” George Weasley had come up to her, taking a seat next to her._

_“Oh, I’m just waiting for someone.” She responded, shooting a small smile at the boy. She had always liked George, he was the quieter twin, and he was the one who told his twin that they were not going to play any pranks on her._

_“Well, how long have you been waiting?” Merlin, she’d been waiting for almost an hour._

_“Not that long, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” She lied. She really didn’t want to be pitied right now._

_“Hope he gets here soon! You won’t believe it, Percy’s actually dancing inside.” George said, trying to make the girl feel better, as he stood up. Kelina’s head snapped up._

_“Huh?” She asked, hoping she heard him wrong._

_“Crazy, isn’t it? Guess the girl he brought must like dancing or something. It’s like they’re connected at the hip or something. See you in there!” George made his way back to the Great Hall, and Kelina let her head fall down slowly. At this moment, she was completely lost. Not only did Percy not show up to the bench they had talked about, he brought a different girl to dance with. Slowly and sadly, Kelina stood up, and tried her best not to cry as she made her way back to her dorm, where she felt she’d spend the rest of her life._


	10. Chapter Ten: The next morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This chapter is just a little bit of a filler, but the next chapter will hopefully have some more plot! Enjoy :)

Being brought back from her memory, Kelina was faced with six large eyes looking at her.

“Percy? As in my brother, Percy Weasley?” Ginny was the first to speak after Kelina’s statement, to which the girl nodded.

“Bloody hell.” Was all Ron could say, leaning back in his chair.

“Always knew he was a right git, but this is a new level.” Fred said, trying his best to be positive. George looked over to her, suddenly remembering his involvement with that night. He looked guilty, which made Kelina sad, he didn’t cause it, but that’s how he felt.

“Kelina, you don’t need him anyway.” Hermione said.

“Thanks guys, I’m just going to go home. I’m thoroughly embarrassed and trying not to cry.” The last part wasn’t meant to come out, but the Veritaserum was still in her system. 

“No! We can play a different game, don’t leave.” Ginny stood up to go over to the girl.

“It’s okay, Gin, I’ll be okay.” She reassured the girl. “Now, go back and have fun at your party.”

*

Kelina woke up the next morning with a terrible headache the next morning. While a Weasley party was the best of the best, the mornings after were always the worst. Everyone was bound to wake up with a raging headache from the amount of alcohol they consumed, but Kelina’s was worse for a different reason. She was forced to relive one of the worst nights of her life, which she so desperately tried to forget ever happened.

She was past this. She wasn’t some scared seventeen year old anymore. She was a fully grown adult, and she knew how to handle things now.

She got out of bed, throwing on her robe to get ready to make a cup of coffee, even if the pounding in her head didn’t exist. What she didn’t expect was for Hermione and Ginny to be sitting on her couch, waiting for her to get up.

“Merlin, guys! What are you doing here?” Kelina jumped back, surprised by the intrusion. Well, could you really call it an intrusion if Kelina gave them access to her fireplace?

“Well, we all felt really bad about last night, and we just wanted to check up on you.” Hermione explained, handing a small vile over to Kelina. It was the same potion she brought last time they suffered from a hangover, and Kelina was immensely grateful.

“I’m fine truly, just something silly that happened a little bit ago.” Kelina defended herself, but the two other girls in the room weren’t buying it.

“You can talk about it with us, no judgement.” Ginny said.

“I don’t know what there is to tell. I got stood up by Percy, end of story.”

“Is this why you hate him?” Hermione asked, and Kelina sighed.

“No, not exactly, I mean, a part of it, but no.” Hermione and Ginny looked at the other girl, confused. “Okay fine.”

So, Kelina explained the events of that night to the two other girls, who listened intently, hanging on her every word. By the end, Hermione placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, and Ginny looked ready to beat someone up.

“I swear, the next time I see him I’m going to-”

“Gin, no, please. It was a long time ago, and I’m over it.” Well, that was sort of true. Kelina had grown up to get over it, but every time she thought about it, her heart hurt just a little bit.

Eventually, Hermione and Ginny had left, and Kelina was alone again, not that she minded. When she was alone, it gave her time to get productive work done. So, she decided that today she was going to clean her apartment. Her apartment wasn’t dirty, per say. There were a few things out of place, and she then decided that she would rearrange some things too, just for a new look.

After about three hours of nonstop working, she was finally happy with it. Kelina stood up, wiping sweat from her brow, and going to the kitchen to get a glass of water. This was exactly what she needed, a day away from thinking about Percy. Her mind was just filled with him for the past few days, and she didn’t know how to stop it. He would never think of her in that way, and she needed to get that through her head.


End file.
